Liam Neeson uses his 'Taken' skills to help Maggie Grace

After making three "Taken" films and several other "Taken"-like movies, Liam Neeson has his menacing tough guy schtick down pat. And he's willing to use those skills to help others, especially his on-screen daughter, Maggie Grace.

Grace was on "Conan" on Thursday to promote "Taken 3" and revealed that Neeson once unleashed his brand of cool menace on an ex-boyfriend that had once treated Grace with a lack of proper respect.

"I was a little bit heartbroken and he was kind of a hot mess," Grace said. "I was telling Liam about it because he always asks about my love life, or lack thereof. And he was like 'This just can't be. We have to set this kid straight.' "

Enter the menacing phone call. Neeson called the ex-boyfriend at his office and took on the persona of his "Taken" character, former CIA operative Bryan Mills.

"We've never met, and if you play your cards right, we never will," he said on the phone. (Luckily, Grace recorded the whole thing for posterity.)

He then threatened to break the ex-boyfriend's arm if he ever made another mistake again.

Actors have a history of using their tough personas to help out friends. Bryan Cranston once got into his scary Walter White character from "Breaking Bad" to help a teen score a date to the prom.

And Neeson himself helpfully threatened a fan in the audience during a recent appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."